Italy summoned India’s ambassador in Rome earlier this week to urge a resolution to the case of two Italian marines who were detained earlier this year over the fatal shooting of two Indian fishermen.

The detention of the naval officers in February has been a source of diplomatic friction between the two countries, which disagree over where they should be tried.

Since then, differences have deepened, with Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi recently saying that returning the marines to Italy is his “priority.”

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“Our boys must come back home,” Mr. Terzi said on Twitter Thursday, explaining why the Indian ambassador, Debabrata Saha, was summoned.

Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, who were on board a commercial Italian ship, are accused of shooting and killing two fishermen off the coast of the state of Kerala, mistaking them for pirates. They were charged with murder and granted bail in June. They deny murdering the fishermen. They could not be reached for comment.

Italy says that the incident happened in international waters and hence that the marines should face trial in Rome. India disagrees, saying that the matter should be handled by Indian courts.

A senior Italian diplomat met Mr. Saha on Thursday to urge India’s Supreme Court to issue a verdict on the two men “before the start of Christmas holidays,” according to a statement released by Italy’s foreign ministry on Thursday.

The Supreme Court is considering a petition the Italian government filed in July on whether the two naval officers have immunity from prosecution in a foreign country.

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